Durango Systems, Inc.

James E Cushman

Mario G Plaza

Helmut K Waibel

An improved print medium driving mechanism for a line or serial printer adapted for advancing either individual cut sheets or a continuous web having regularly spaced perforations preformed along its edges. The driving mechanism operates in either a friction drive mode or a spur drive mode. In friction drive mode, print medium inserted into the mechanism, is guided to a driven friction feed roller. The medium is then clamped between the feed roller and a plurality of pressure rollers. Driven by the feed roller, the medium is advanced and guided around that roller and then between immediately adjacent surfaces of a printhead and a platen. If cut sheets are being driven, they are inserted between lateral guides adjusted to the width of the sheet. Such sheets, after being advanced past the platen, contact a deflector surface of a cover which guides them into a second clamping, driven engagement in a friction feed assembly. Alternatively, perforated, preformed continuous web printing medium may be mated along its edges to spur drive members. Such printing medium engages the spur drive members both upon entering into and departing from its path around the feed roller. With the continuous web medium thus engaged, the driving mechanism is switched to spur drive mode which releases the print medium from frictional engagement at the feed roller. Further, this mode causes the continuous web to be contacted across its width by a tension bar placing it in tension along its path between the spur drive members and around the feed roller.

Print drive medium for line/series printers

A web drive mechanism to advance the print medium of a line or serial printer apparatus including a first stationary guide track for guiding the print medium along a defined path intermediate a medium supply position and a printing position, a platen about the printing position for receiving the medium, at least one rotor drive member having a rotor positioned adjacent to the guide track along the defined path intermediate the supply position and the platen with the outer peripheral surface of the rotor being adjacent to at least a portion of the arcuate path of the guide track to permit the print medium to travel intermediate the guide track and the rotor, the rotor drive member including a first medium gate for urging the print medium in engagement with the peripheral surface of the rotor as the medium advances intermediate the supply position and the platen, and a second medium gate for holding the print medium as it advances intermediate the platen and a medium take-up position, and a drive means engaging the rotor drive member for driving the rotor about its axis of rotation; whereby the rotor drive member drives the print medium from the medium supply position to feed it to the platen position and simultaneously drives the print medium from the platen position to feed it to the medium take-up position.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

James E Cushman